Brush handle lock



Dec. 10, 1957 J. J. M CRINK BRUSH HANDLE LOCK Filed May 4, 1954 Jaseph McCrin/r INVENTOIC i 9 BY all United States Patent Hoe The present invention is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 211,151, filed February 15, 1951, entitled Brush Handle Lock, now abandoned, and relates to a device for securing a brush handle against rotation when such handle is attached to a brush head.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a brush handle lock for push broom and similar types of handle and brush head connections wherein'the brush head is detachably secured to one end of the brush handle, the lower end of the handle usually being threaded into a blind bore in the brush head, which locking, device prevents relative rotational movement between the brush head and the handle.

A highly important object of the invention is to provide a brush handle locking device in accordance with the primary object, which locking device is of exceedingly simple construction, necessitating no modification of either the brush handle or head in its use and being substantially universally adapted for use with all conventional type brush head and handle connections.

Another important object of the invention is in the provision of a brush head and handle locking device which, in attachment to the brush handle, requires no penetration of the handle for its rigid, non-rotatable connection thereto utilizing a press type fastener in its securement to the handle.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a brush handle and head to which the brush lock of the present invention is applied;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially through the plane of section line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a modified brush lock of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second modification of the brush lock wherein the same may also be utilized as a scraper; and

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of a third modification of the brush lock of the invention.

Noting first Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, there is shown in these figures a suitable brush head 10 which is mounted or attached to the lower end of a brush handle 12. As is conventional, the brush head is in the form of an elongated block having an arcuate top surface and a substantially fiat undersurface to which the brush bristles 14 are applied.

Centrally between the ends and opening in the arcuated top surface thereof, the brush head 10 is provided with a pair of complementally angled, threaded bores 16 and 18, respectively. The lower end of the brush handle 12 is shaped to conform to each of these bores 16 and 18, as at 20, and is threaded into one of these bores, the

2,815,989 Patented Dec. 10, 1957 bore 18 in Figures 1 and 2, to attach the brush head 10 transversely of the brush handle 12 to the lower end of this brush handle 12.

When so assembled, the brush assembly will work comparatively well; however, there is a tendency for the handle to rotate out of the brush head which very often makes the assemblage unwieldy to handle and extremely awkward to guide. I am aware that many locking devices have been devised to inhibit this tendency of rotation and that some of these locking devices have indeed achieved some commercial success. However, such brush locks, to my knowledge, have achieved no really general utility because many require initial modification of either the brush handle or the brush head, or both; many are expensive to manufacture or awkward to apply or are sometimes inadequate to serve their intended function.

My invention basically involves the utilization of a cylindrical collar or sleeve 22 which may be simply slipped over the brush handle 12 and allowed to slide down to the lower end of the handle at its connection to the brush head 10. An arm is provided to extend below the lower end of the sleeve or collar 22 to rest upon the upper surface of the brush head 10, this arm being designated by the numeral 24. When in this position, a threaded, press lock fastener 26 frictionally engages the surface of the handle 12 to securely lock the collar 22 against rotation or sliding movement on the handle 12 to retain the arm 24 in abutment with the brush head 10.

It is to be noted that the sleeve 22 is not necessarily cylindrical, the cross-sectional shape of the sleeve being such as to conform to the cross-sectional shape of the handle with which it is used.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figures 1 and 2, the arm 24 has an arcuated upper portion 28 conforming to the curvature of the sleeve or collar 22 and resting upon the collar, being rigidly secured thereto. The lower end portion of the arm 24, designated by the numeral 30, extends longitudinally beyond the lower end of the collar 22 and is angled outwardly from the longitudinal axis of this collar. This lower end portion 30 of the arm 24 is fiat, and seats tangentially against the upper surface of the brush head 10.

The upper end portion of the arm 28 and the collar 22 are provided with registering threaded apertures 32 therethrough, through which the threaded stem of the fastening element 26 extends to penetrate the interior of the collar 22. The inner end of the fastening element stem 26 is flattened to abut the handle 12 and is frictionally pressed thereagainst to lock the collar in place on the handle. The upper end or head portion of the fastening element 26 is angulated with respect to the stem to form a handle 34 for turning the fastening element.

With this construction, an exceedingly simple and extremely efficient brush lock is formed which may be quickly and conveniently applied to any conventional brush head and handle assembly requiring no skill, no special precautions and being virtually fool-proof.

Noting the modification of Figure 4, the brush lock is identical to that of Figure 1, with the exception that the free end portion 30 of the arm 24 is provided with a transverse cross-head 36 forming a scraper blade which may be utilized in conjunction with the brush in sweeping floors or the like to dislodge tacky, sticky or other hard-to-remove material from the floor or the like which the brush bristles themselves will not pick up.

In Figure 3, there is shown a collar 38 substantially identical to the collar 22 previously described and having a threaded aperture 40 through the wall thereof into which the fastening element 26 is threaded. Arms 42 extend integrally from the lower end of the collar 38 and are angled outwardly from the longitudinal axis of this collar to rest tangentially on the brush head 10 on diametrically opposite sides of the handle.

In Figure 5, a collar 44 is shown for slipping over the brush handle 12 having a portion of the wall thereof formed into a rectangular open-ended housing 46. Threaded aperture 48 is provided in the top of the rec tangular housing 46. The locking arm in this modification is designated by the numeral 50 and includes a rectangula'r upper end portion 52 which slides into the rectangular housnig 46 and has a threaded aperture 54 therethrough registering with the threaded aperture 48 in the collar. The lower end portion 56 of the arm 50 projects longitudinally beyond the lower end of and is outwardly divergent from the longitudinal axis of the collar to tangentially rest against the brush head 10. Fastening ele' ment 26 projecting through the registering apertures 48, 54 prevents outward withdrawal of the arm from the collar.

In all the modifications of the invention set forth, the locking action is substantially identical, the collar of each modification being rigidly secured to the handle 12 and the extending arm portion resting tangentially against the brush head 10 to lock the handle 12 against rotation with respect to the brush head 10.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A device for preventing rotation of a brush handle when such handle is threaded into a brush head, said device comprising a collar adapted to slip over the brush handle, said collar having a threaded aperture through the wall thereof, a press lock fastener threaded through said aperture for frictionally engaging the brush handle to lock the collar in place, and an arm extending from one end of said collar at an angle diverging from the longitudinal axis of said collar, said arm having a portion disposed within said collar, said arm portion having an aperture registering with said aperture in said collar, said press lock fastener extending through both of said apertures, said arm having a relatively flat portion intermediate its ends for frictionally abutting the top surface of the brush head, the diverging angle of said arm being such that the arm will abut the brush head immediately adjacent said one end of said collar and at a point on the brush upper surface which is closer to said collar than it is to either the front edge or the rear edge of the brush.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,134,076 Hipkins Mar. 30, 1915 1,402,485 Fredriksen Jan. 3, 1922 2,163,979 Judson June 27, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 417,964 Great Britain Oct. 16, 1934 1,03 ,474 F a e M 11. 1953 

